Leaves are alternate, 2-7” long and about half as wide. The Two-winged Silverbell is a small rounded tree or shrub that is usually multi-stemmed and low-branched. Other Common Names: Sweet Gum Tree, Redgum, Red Sweet GumĪverage Size at Maturity: 50-70 ft tall and 10-20 ft wide Trees won’t flower until reaching maturity, at 20-30 years old. Sweetgums are monoecious, with different sexes being found in different flowers. Occasional low-hanging branches reveal clusters of flowers and emerging leaves. Flowers emerge in the spring, and whilst they are fairly large, are hard to spot as they appear high up in the tree. The Sweetgum is an important hardwood timber tree. The fruit are small, globular, horny, woody balls 1” in diameter that hang on the stem and persists through January. The fall foliage is purple and red and doesn’t require very cold temperatures to change color. It features deep, glossy green deciduous leaves that are five-lobed, making a star shape. The Sweetgum is a large, open-crowned aromatic tree with a straight trunk and a conical crown that becomes round and spreads with age. Other Common Names: Texas Smoke Tree, Wild Smoke Tree, Smoke Tree, Smoke Bush, ChittamwoodĪverage Size at Maturity: 15-20 ft tall and 15-25 ft wide Don’t over-water or over-fertilize for best results. The American Smoke Tree is disease-resistant, drought-tolerant, and adapted to the stony soils of its native range. The gnarled bark is another ornamental feature of this tree, as is the flaking bark. The actual flower itself is small and not showy. Six to ten-inch flower pannicles develop red or purple petioles that amidst crowded flower clusters, give a smoky appearance when fluttering in a breeze of wind. It’s a short trunked tree and features blue-green leaves that turn an eye-catching shade of fire red and orange in the fall.
It has an upright branching habit and is usually multi-trunked, with an open crown and spreading branches. The American Smoke Tree is native to Kentucky, Tennessee, and Northern Alabama. They are green/yellow and for both sexes, the calyx holding the flower is 5-lobed.Īverage Size at Maturity: 60-80 ft tall and 30-70 ft wide
Male and female flowers are typically on different branches. The leaves are once compound, and the flowers appear on elongated racemes between 2-5” long from leaf axils on young branches. The form of this tree varies specimens can be seen growing tall with a rounded top with ascending, arching branches, or lower spreading branches. Male trees will produce no fruit and have no thorns, making maintenance easier than on other messier species. The Honeylocust is tolerant of a range of both wetter and drier areas. It’s better suited to the Northwest of Arkansas. Its tolerance to drought and salinity has increased its popularity both in preventing soil erosion and for urban planting where it is used in many instances to replace the elm. The Honeylocust is a moderately fast-growing tree, commonly found in moist lowlands and limestone soils. Other Common Names: Virginia Dogwood, Florida Dogwood, White Cornel, Arrowwood, American Boxwood, St.Peter’s Crown, False Box, Corona de San PedroĪverage Size at Maturity: 15-20 ft tall and 15-2- ft wide They work well as a single specimen or planted in groups, and their horizontal branches provide dappled shade. Plant in rich, sandy, or loamy soil that’s slightly acidic. Like the Roughleaf Dogwood, the Flowering Dogwood prefers a partly shady-to shady location. The Flowering Dogwood provides interest practically year-round. The foliage is a vibrant green, turning scarlet in the fall. Its spring flowers are usually pink or white, 3-4” long, and give way to red berries which are eaten by birds, small mammals, and deer. The Flowering Dogwood is a small to medium tree with horizontal spreading branches. They can be found on stream banks and shade woods in AR, bringing color and perfume to the area from March to May. The Flowering Dogwood is the most familiar of all the Dogwoods.